Silenced voices: feminine experiences in Tucum and Bubu penitentiaries, Cariacica (1997-2020). It's not about prison, it's about being a woman
Name: LUCIANA GOMES FERREIRA DE ANDRADE
Publication date: 06/06/2025
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| ALEX SILVA FERRARI | Examinador Interno |
| ELDA COELHO DE AZEVEDO BUSSINGUER | Examinador Externo |
| ÉRICA VERÍCIA CANUTO DE OLIVEIRA VERAS | Examinador Externo |
| JULIO CESAR BENTIVOGLIO | Examinador Interno |
| MARIA BEATRIZ NADER | Presidente |
Summary: Gender relations structured under patriarchal logic deeply influence various dimensions of women’s lives, including the experiences of those deprived of liberty. In the Brazilian prison system, these relations are acutely manifested through multiple forms of institutional violence and the absence or inadequacy of public policies aimed at ensuring the fundamental rights of incarcerated women. This doctoral thesis aims to analyze female incarceration in the state of Espírito Santo as a state practice of patriarchal domination and control over women's bodies, using as an empirical object the experiences of women detained in the prison units popularly known as Tucum and Bubu, both located in the municipality of Cariacica. The time frame covers the period from 1997 to 2024, from the opening of the Penitentiary for Women of Cariacica (Tucum) to the current operation of Bubu. The research is based on the methodology of oral history, conducted through a focus group composed of women currently incarcerated in Bubu who also experienced imprisonment in Tucum. This approach enables the recovery of memories and the construction of narratives about practices of control, symbolic violence, and resistance within the prison context. In addition to the oral testimonies, a documentary survey was carried out using public records, photographs, and articles from the local press. The analysis is grounded in the theoretical contributions of Michel Foucault and Erving Goffman, in dialogue with scholars such as Michelle Perrot, Heleieth Saffioti, and Maria Beatriz Nader, whose works help to conceptualize the prison as a total institution and to explore the intersections of gender, power, and exclusion. The findings reveal that female incarceration, far from being a neutral penal practice, functions as an extension of patriarchal structures, reinforcing historical inequalities and operating as a mechanism of social control that extends beyond prison walls to affect families and entire communities. By centering the voices of incarcerated women, this thesis contributes to the development of an intersectional critique of the prison system and of dominant forms of knowledge production surrounding crime and punishment.
